Barcelona defeated Villarreal 3-1 in the first-leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal.
The Yellow Submarine drew level shortly after half-time, with Manu Trigueros cancelling out Lionel Messi's opener just before the break.
But goals from Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique gave the Catalan giants a comfortable cushion heading into the second leg in three weeks' time.
Their lead could have been even greater but Neymar saw his 71st-minute spot-kick saved.
"It's a good result but, perhaps, we could have done better. We deserved more," said Barca coach Luis Enrique.
"Being up 3-1 heading into the second leg does not change our mentality, we'll go into that match looking to win. I expect a very difficult match. The goal is not to score, but to win."
